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Kaleidescape Conductor with MAC / Parallels

G

gq1972

Member
Hi!

I am owner of a kaleidescape system and I use the Kalkeidescape Conductor for updating iTunes, storing the Conductor Data on an external Hard-Disc (Ready NAS). It worked...

Now I changed my PC to a Mac with OS X and Windows 7 under Parallels.

My problem:
The Kaleidescape Conductor is working and also storing the data on the Ready NAS, but he could not update iTunes:

Message on the K. Condoctor:
?Either iTunes is not installed, or the version that?s installed is too old. If you wish to copy your Kaleidescape music to iTunes, please install the latest version from www.itunes.com.?

I would be pleased to get support for my problem!

Thank you and best regards from Munich / Germany
Marco - gq1972
 
gq1972 said:
Hi!

I am owner of a kaleidescape system and I use the Kalkeidescape Conductor for updating iTunes, storing the Conductor Data on an external Hard-Disc (Ready NAS). It worked...

Now I changed my PC to a Mac with OS X and Windows 7 under Parallels.

My problem:
The Kaleidescape Conductor is working and also storing the data on the Ready NAS, but he could not update iTunes:

Message on the K. Condoctor:
“Either iTunes is not installed, or the version that’s installed is too old. If you wish to copy your Kaleidescape music to iTunes, please install the latest version from www.itunes.com.”

I would be pleased to get support for my problem!

Thank you and best regards from Munich / Germany
Marco - gq1972
Click to expand...

Make sure you have iTunes installed for windows. Since you are running Conductor in Windows it will not see iTunes installed in OS X on the Mac side. You must have iTunes for Windows installed.
 
Thank you for your answer, James!

I have not installed iTunes in windows. I thought that the Conductor could see MAC iTunes because it is shown in the windows explorer as a "paralells shared application"...

Does the MAC iTunes show the same data or do I have to use only the iTunes under Windows?
 
The MAC Itunes can use the same data/songs from the ReadyNAS as Windows Itunes, but Kaleidescape conductor can only modify the Itunes library via Windows Itunes. Conductor performs several functions: (1) compares the Itunes library to the KScape library; creates an MP3 version of songs on the KScape server but not in Itunes; (3) copies the MP3 version to the designated location; and (4) updates the Itunes library. One decision you will need to make is where you want your library to reside -- i.e., on the Windows side of your Mac or on the Ready NAS.
 
Marco: One other point in response to your questions. By default, the library for Itunes for Mac OS would be resident on the Mac OS "side" of the computer. As KScape is modifying the Itunes library on the Windows side, it would have no impact on the Mac-side Itunes library. (When you load a CD into Itunes, it copies the songs onto the disk drive, but also updates the library database so that Itunes knows the location of the song files, etc.) One possibility is periodically add the songs to the Mac OS Itunes library. You can add the songs to the Mac library database without copying the songs to the Mac side -- i.e., you would only rely on one copy set of the actual song files. (As you add songs from a hard drive to Itunes, it will ask you whether you want make another copy and put it your default music folder. You would opt not to do so.)
 
I have already installed iTunes on the Windows "side" in additional to the iTunes on the MAC "side". IT WORKS! The Kscape Conductor updated the iTunes library on the Window "side". After closing it and opening the iTunes on the MAC "side", the library was also updated there. GREAT!
Normally I do not add a disc directly to iTunes, but rather I load it to the Kaleidescape system, so I mostly do not have the problem with the location of the iTunes library. But it is good to know what to do...!
Thank you very much Bartok!!!
Best regards from Munich / Germany
Marco
 
...there is one problem left:
The iTunes on the MAC "side" is showing the library with the "Kaleidescape" music/data but I could not play the albums or songs.
Message on iTunes (MAC "side"): "The song "..." could not be used, because the original could not be found. Do you want to search it?"
iTunes on the Windows "side" is working perfect and plays the Kaleidescape music.
 
Marco: In Itunes on the Mac side, right click on one of the songs that you are having trouble accessing, then "Get Info" on that file. (You can also access "Get Info" through the menu. I believe it is a subitem under the "File" menu.") What is the file location of that song? If it is the correct location (on the Ready NAS), then it may mean your Mac is not "logged" into the Ready NAS before trying to access the files. Under such circumstances, you either need to set up the Mac so that it automatically logs into the Ready NAS when you boot up the computer or you need to manually connect to the Ready NAS BEFORE (important) you open Itunes.
 
There is no file location - "unknown" - in the song information menu of iTunes MAC.
The Ready NAS is connected to MAC and Windows, but there are several kinds of connections possible!? Now I changed the storage location of the iTunes MAC to the "normal" network connection of the Ready NAS. (there are several kind of connections shown on windows and MAC - for example to the .psf directory, etc.)...
Do I have to change the storage location on iTunes MAC to THE SAME location as iTunes Windows?
I can see the same music on both iTunes but I could only play music on the iTunes Windows...
 
On a Mac, I regularly use SMB as the protocol to connect to devices such as the Ready NAS -- rather than AFP (Apple Filing Protocol). In Apple Finder, you can "connect to server" and use the NAS' IP address. So you would enter something like smb://XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX, where "XXX. . ." is the storage device's IP address. Once you connect, you will be able to see all of the folders, including the folder with the Kaleidescape data.

Just a hunch, but I would rebuild you library on the MAC side. With iTunes closed, delete the following two iTunes files: iTunes Library and iTunes Music Library.XML. In the file system, make sure you are looking at files under your user name. Then go to the Music Folder and then the iTunes subfolder.

Next, make sure that you are logged into the Ready NAS and then open Itunes. You will then need to tell iTunes to add the songs from the Ready NAS (whatever subfolder the KScape data is in) to iTunes. (When iTunes asks you whether to copy the songs to your default music location, I would decline -- unless there is a good reason to do otherwise.) Depending upon the number of songs, it could take iTunes awhile to rebuild it library index (15 to 60 or more minutes), so be patient. (One the rebuild is complete, the two files listed above will be recreated.)
 
The Mac is connected to the Ready NAS also with the smb protocol. I can also see the Kaleidescape data on the MAC side.
I tried to delete the iTunes folders (first on one, then on both side). They were recreated also. Adding the songs to MAC iTunes I used "add to library" but then iTunes MAC added the songs but then the songs were duplicate (as I assumed). Is thee another method to add the songs without creating duplicates?
A curious thing: When I search a location of a song in iTunes MAC (after trying to play a song with the following information "song not found"), and choose the Kalaidescape file and I click on a song, it is added to iTunes MAC and it is possible to play it...?!
But should I do it like this way with all about 10000 songs...?
As the iTunes Windows/Kscape library is shown and updated in iTunes MAC, there must be a possibility to also play the music (and updating iPhone and iPod) in iTunes MAC.
 
A few questions:

1. In your iTunes music folder, do you have any music files present? Given your description of how you use KScape, I would guess there should not be.

2. Is your KScape data in your iTunes folder? (KScape recommends against this.)

iTunes will index files in the iTunes music folder. If you have the same songs in you KScape data folder and "add" those songs to the library, then you will get duplicates. A good way to avoid this is to ensure that you have no music files in your iTunes folder (or at least not music that is also on the KScape) and then simply add the KScape data to your library -- but leave the files in there original location on the Ready NAS.

Given that you have so many files, I would test this with only 5 or 10 albums. If it works, then you can proceed with adding all the songs.
 
1. There are only some music files from the music I bought in the iTunes Store. All my CDs are on the Kscape Server, updated with the Conductor in iTunes (...so it should be).
2. The Kscape data is in a separate folder on the Ready NAS.

How can I add the Kscape data to my library without getting duplicates???
I used the function "add to my Mediathek" (...so called in the german version)

I tried some things and now I can see in iTunes MAC a "Administrators Mediathek" (Library?) under "Approvals" and that is the Kscape library. I can play the music but without any covers, etc. (but that is not the real solution).
The covers could be seen under "music" or under Kscape in iTunes MAC but without the possibility to play...?
 
1. Make sure that the only files in your iTunes music folder are the non Kscape files.
2. In iTunes, go to preferences, then advanced. Make sure that the box "copy to itunes media folder when adding to library" is UNCHECKED.
3. Close iTunes and then delete the two iTunes files I listed previously.
4. Open iTunes and it will then rebuild the library using (for right now) only the files in the iTunes music folder.
5. After that is completed, add the folder with the KScape data. (Go to file, and then "add folder to library." If iTunes asks you whether to copy the files to your iTunes library, you should decline.

iTunes will then process the folder, download artwork, etc. By the way, some programs embed artwork into the mp3, etc. But I do not believe iTunes can use embedded artwork per se. Rather, it downloads and stores artwork in a separate album artwork folder on your hard drive. So even if a song has embeded artwork (such as a KScape based song), iTunes might not "see" the artwork. It will only "see" the artwork, once the song as been added to the library and its downloaded album art automatically added to the database.

Hope this helps.
 
I did it like exactly like you explained. It worked!
I deleted both files in iTunes MAC and Windows and did the rest in iTunes MAC.
Now, I have the songs included the covers etc. in the "Library"-folder "Music" (NOT in the DATA-FOLDER, there are only the songs I bought in the iTunes Store).

What I miss is the folder "Kaleidescape" (with his sub-Folder) in the "Playlist"-folder.

Two (I hope the last ;-)) more questions:
1. I haven't opened iTunes Windows yet. Should or could I do it without "destroying" the new situation?
2. How is the music getting updated? Normally the (missing) Playlist Kscape Folder (and also the Library "Music" folder) is getting updated by the Kscape conductor.

Sorry for enlisting your assistance! I hope, we can close this item as soon as possible.
 
1. Opening iTunes for Window should cause no problems because the music library files (the two iTunes files we have been discussing) are currently separate from those in iTunes for Mac.

2. KScape Conductor will automatically update the library on the Windows side. In other words, when you open Conductor it will compare the songs on the KScape with the songs listed in the iTunes library. It will then copy any "new songs" over to, in your case, the Ready NAS and then update the iTunes library files on the Windows side.

3. I think you will have to manually update the library on the Mac side as additional KScape songs are copied to the Ready NAS. (That is why it would be nice if there was a KScape Conductor for Mac.) I believe the only way that both the Mac side could possibly stay in sync automatically would be if it relied on the same iTunes libary files that were being automatically updated by KScape Conductor. There might be a way to do this by using Shared Folders in Parallels. As you may know, Shared Folders allows the virtual Windows machine to access files on the Mac side. (I have not used Parallels in a couple of years, but I am pretty sure this core functionality still remains in the program.) What might be possible: You could store your iTunes music libary files on the Mac side, use those files for iTunes for Mac, tell iTunes for Windows to use those same files (via the Shared Folders functionality), and then KScape conductor (which looks to iTunes for Windows for guidance on the location of the library files that need updating) would update those files. Not sure it would work, but might be worth trying if you truly want both versions of iTunes to be in sync.
 
A further thought: Sharing the same iTune library files may not be possible. The iTunes library files likely contain file paths to each song and it possible that the format of the file path information in iTunes for Windows might be incompatible with the format for iTunes for Mac. But it still might be worth trying to share the library files.
 
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